Cooling Problem on 1999 Lanos - Sensor/ECU??

[RichieOzzie]

Leaks all-over.! Bizarre to have them all at once.

I just wondered it it was the condenser(Rad in front of the Radiator), and the two had been damaged in a bingle or the likes.

Had my air-con re-gassed after 2 years, and the only thing was a leaky valve at the top near the strut, which was the fault of the goon that topped it up.

Get another quote to just fix it up is what I would do, as this was the same way I was treat. I got a "hmmmm, mate, leaks all over, thats why its low on pressure. Only way is to changer the lot for ya, may cost a few thou bucks".

I went to another, he said it should be ok, as long as you re-gas it every year or so.

I went the last option, and it still works now, and summer is over.

Price $65.

[ChrisHarding]

Hey Richie

That's a cool idea!! In fact the only area where I can see gas has escaped and blemished the paintwork is exactly the same as yours...just around that valve near the strut...Hmmm maybe I will put the idler pulley and belt back and find someone who will just look at the valve and try a regas!!!

BTW: The new radiator is in and running..the one I bought also has an oil cooler tube in the RH tank so I left those pipe disconnected....after a run all looks good ..I'll check in the morning but there is no more wet core now..the old rad must have been quite bad as it also was wetting the aircon rad core!!!!

Thanks again for all your great help!!

Chris

[RichieOzzie]

Welcome to reliable motoring, good on yer mate.

Worth a shot if he quoted such a price to see. Anyways, you are always best to re-gas at the beginning of summer.

[mrwoo105]

If I were you I would most def replace the thermostat. And like other suggestions check all sensors and connections.

[RichieOzzie]

I dunno abot the Thermostat though to honest.

Sounds like from the description it is running pretty good once cooling is in effect. The description was the needle sits just under 1/2 way whatever the temp, and I would be happy with that.

It doesnt sound like there has been any excessive heat in the engine itself, so I'd let sleeping dogs lie on this one.

I think it was just a stuffed Radiator was causing the hiccups.

Just my $0.02

[ChrisHarding]

I think if the thermostat was sticking closed the motor would have seized a long time ago !! Once it gets up to temp it tends to stay there and never budge...it hovers just below the half-way mark ...I'm actually used to seeing my temp gauges rise a little in traffic and then drop a bit when you fly down the empty highway in the cool evening...these gauges must be dampened quite heavily ..I notice that the fuel gauge is very slow to react too!!! My wife's car is a Fairmont and on the open road the temp gauge drops right down but then rises in stop-start situations

I must admit the Lanos motor seems to run hotter "physically" than other cars!!!especially in the last 3 months where our day temps have all been over 30 degrees (C)

I'll keep an eye on everything over the weekend and report back

Chris

[ChrisHarding]

Hi Richie

I think I have found another coolant leak as the level dropped this morning after my errands!! There seems to be quite of lot of green debris that's more "slushy" than liquid in front of the hose that runs from the engine back into the firewall bulkhead. I assume that this would go to the heater block???? Any bright ideas on how to get to it to find out where it's leaking??? It seems to go thru the bulkhead so I'm assuming that the hose eventually connects somewhere under the dash??? Have you ever worked on this section before or has anyone ripped out this part of the cooling (in this case it would be heating) system??? The pipes themselves seem to be great..the leak appears to be probably on the core connector which I cannot get to without major dis-assembly!!!

I have searched every other line and this seems to be the only place that is sorta wet/slushy and has any sort of coolant residue. Now, the smell that's coming from the engine seems to be coolant that's dropping onto the exhaust too!! So, would there be any issue if I take off the inlet pipe totally (just for now) and then re-route the much longer outlet pipe and connect it back to the fitting under the throttle body??? That way the coolant will still flow but simply bypass the heater core????? That way I can at least isolate the problem....I don't need interior heat at the moment!!!!

Chris

[MMamdouh]

the hose is connected to the heater core pipes... the hose doesn't go into the firewall, the inlet and outlet pipes of the heater core protrudes from the firewall

best way to reach them hoses is from underneath the car

MMamdouh

[Puddle31]

Chris I have a 200 Lanos 1.6 and since i replaced my thermostat and housing mine too runs just below half way on the gauge. Before I replaced it, it was just slightly lower than it is now but not down at a quarter. Mine seems to warm up slowly, but that's fine with me, as long as it doesn't overheat. the day I broke the housing it was hot outside, but as long as I ran at normal speed (no red lights or extened stops) the temperature stayed below halfway. In fact I took the thermostat out and just let it leak for a one hour transit home. the first half of the trip i stopped every5-6 miles to refill the coolant, but after that i just kept going. If you are getting gunk out it might need to be flushed out. that should be fluid, not gel. that could be causing problems with the thermostat.

[ChrisHarding]

Thanks Guys!!

The coolant below the pipes is probably old but it does feel wet around the inlet pipe. What I have done now is bypass the heater core totally and then I'll see if the level still drops!!! You can also see where the coolant has been dripping from the inlet and landing on the exhaust cos there is a big white mark there. I did check the water pump and no leak coming from there at all.

I think it will be a process of elimination!!!

Chris